Bethesda Softworks and id Software released an update for Doom: Eternal last week, which “addressed” various issues, while at the same time bringing in Irdeto’s Denuvo tech. As of today, the tech will be removed when “update 1.1” releases to the public.
On blog.irdeto.com, it explains that Doom: Eternal’s Battle Mode (multiplayer mode) on PC sports Denuvo. However, when the upcoming 1.1 update drops, said tech will be removed:
We’re currently working on PC only Update 1.1 for DOOM Eternal that will remove Denuvo anti-cheat and address a number of crashes. https://t.co/EpiK3URxvn
— id Software (@idSoftware) May 20, 2020
When Irdeto’s Denuvo anti-cheat system was announced, the company claimed that it “avoids collecting any personally identifiable information.” Additionally, Irdeto went on to say that “unlike other anti-cheat solutions” that its anti-cheat solution does not take screenshots, scan files, or stream shellcode from the Internet.
Irdeto also claimed that its anti-cheat solution only collects information on how the OS interacts with the game so that it can be sent to Amazon-hosted servers for cheat detection.
Even though Irdeto claims that its solution isn’t intrusive, Marty Stratton — executive producer at id Software — took to the web as of recent to explain why Doom: Eternal for PC won’t be using said tech anymore:
“Despite our best intentions, feedback from players has made it clear that we must re-evaluate our approach to anti-cheat integration. With that, we will be removing the anti-cheat technology from the game in our next PC update. As we examine any future of anti-cheat in DOOM Eternal, at a minimum we must consider giving campaign-only players the ability to play without anti-cheat software installed, as well as ensure the overall timing of any anti-cheat integration better aligns with player expectations around clear initiatives – like ranked or competitive play – where demand for anti-cheat is far greater.”
The above notice from Stratton comes from website dsogaming.com. Additionally, the website also highlights the following info from Stratton regarding Irdeto’s Denuvo:
“I have seen speculation online that Bethesda (our parent company and publisher) is forcing these or other decisions on us, and it’s simply untrue. It’s also worth noting that our decision to remove the anti-cheat software is not based on the quality of the Denuvo Anti-Cheat solution. Many have unfortunately related the performance and stability issues introduced in Update 1 to the introduction of anti-cheat. They are not related.”
In other words, Stratton claims that Bethesda isn’t forcing any recent decisions on id Software and that rumors surrounding said topic are “simply untrue.”
Stratton also makes mention of the decision to remove Irdeto anti-cheat software is not based on the anti-cheat solution impacting performance and stability since he believes that the stability issues are not related to Update 1’s Denuvo inclusion.
Doom: Eternal is out now for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Stadia.
